Superstar mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
Wolf Trap Opera has one of the most successful programs in the country at sending emerging professional singers into successful professional careers as opera soloists. Each summer they hold a master class for their trainees, led by the Filene Artist in Residence, a well-known alumni of their program. This year’s class was led by superstar mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, and mainly for that reason, I decided to listen to the first thirty minutes or so, just to see what it was like when first broadcast on July 22. The class, held with four WTO young Studio Artists, lasted just under two hours. I was glued to my computer screen the entire time. Yes, the class was for singers, but WTO recognizes its value for fans as well and makes it open to the public; it is currently available for viewing online.
First, let’s be clear: opera singers are made, not born. A play appeared on Broadway in 1995 written by Terence McNally titled “Master Class”; playwright McNally is also known as a librettist, most notably for Dead Man Walking by composer Jake Heggie. Sadly, Mr. McNally died earlier this year from complications due to the coronavirus. The plot for the play revolves around soprano Maria Callas holding a master class in which she relates stories of her life to the class. The play won the Tony Award for best drama and had a two-year successful run (if anybody wants to put that play on, I will attend, especially if you turn it into an opera). In a master class, established opera professionals listen to and critique singers in early to mid-stage career development; other singers and fans also benefit from viewing the instruction. This passing down of hard-won expertise is crucial to the development of the next generation of opera singers and maintaining opera’s high artistic standards; fans, when the classes are open to the public, get an improved understanding of the technique and art of singing opera. Music schools and opera company training programs make these classes an integral part of their curriculum.
Mezzo-soprano Alexis Peart, first student performing in the master class; all students accompanied by pianist William Woodard. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
Singing opera well is challenging, more difficult than most people recognize; singing opera professionally requires reaching yet another level. Take renowned contralto Marian Anderson for example. She was born a singer, but it was years and years of dedicated training and study that enabled her to become the first black soloist to sing at the Met. Ms. Callas, who was so admired as a singer she was given the tag “La Divina”, was reportedly a dedicated student who worked with a tutor early in her career to change her tessitura (vocal range) from contralto to dramatic soprano and develop that talent. Similar stories can be said for the vast majority of today’s opera singers. The perfection of their craft takes years of intense study, practice, and tutoring and tends to be a life-long commitment. When you are experienced singing at the professional level, you are a master and are prepared to teach master classes for those singers who have not yet achieved your level of mastery.
Class instructor Denyce Graves provides student feedback. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
Well, let’s look at the professorial qualifications for Denyce Graves. During the twenty-year period starting around 1990, she was a rock star in the opera world; today she is a revered diva. She made her Met debut in Carmen in 1995; hers was considered the definitive Carmen, and she played that role in over twenty Met productions. She has performed leading roles in most of the major opera houses in Europe and the US, and still performs today, most recently in Porgy and Bess at the Met and would have played the same role at the Kennedy Center if the production had not been shut down by the pandemic (much to my chagrin). She has hosted her own network television special, and as a popular recitalist and recording star, she has often been called on to sing at major events. I could go on and on about her awards and impressive accomplishments, but I will just add one more that I really like. Tim Page, a highly regarded and tough critic for the Washington Post in the 1990s, said of her, “She is almost too good to be true -- a vital artist, a beautiful woman, and a regal presence.” Hers is an amazing story. She grew up in one of the tougher sections of Southwest DC and later almost had her career ended before it began by a medical problem affecting her voice (an interesting CBS Sixty Minutes segment from 1996 describes her rise to stardom and early beginnings). She currently resides in Leesburg, Virginia. Ms. Graves has given many master classes at different venues; several can be found on YouTube. In her WTO master class, she was focused, interactive, informative, and looked spectacular, as a diva should.
Soprano Brittany Logan next up to perform and be critiqued. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
Watching the four WTO Studio Artists stepping up to perform in the master class was like watching a spring bouquet appear one flower at a time. Studio Artists, rather than the more experienced Filene Artists, are usually chosen as students for the master classes, as WTO tries to meet the particular needs of their trainees, pair them appropriately with specific trainers, and spread the opportunities among all their trainees over the summer. I won’t comment further on the young artists other than to say that each was delightful and highly talented; they were responsive to the suggestions from Ms. Graves, and it was a pleasure to hear them perform. The singers and their arias for this class are listed below; accompaniment was provided on the electronic keyboard by pianist William Woodard, who is also a WTO Coaching Fellow this summer:
Alexis Peart, mezzo-soprano - Venti turbini, Rinaldo
Brittany Logan, soprano - Porgi amor, Le Nozze di Figaro
Justin Burgess, baritone - Count's Aria, Le Nozze di Figaro
Emily Triegle, mezzo-soprano - Simple Child, Grapes of Wrath
Baritone Justin Burgess third up for a performance and a critique. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
I’ve watched segments of a few other master classes online, and the ones I’ve watched seemed to concentrate mostly on the voice being used (chest voice, throat voice, etc.) and breathing techniques. Ms. Graves took a more holistic approach, encouraging each singer to get more in touch with the character they were playing and to be careful how their voices and body movements correctly portray their characters as they see them, in order to forge and maintain a strong connection with the audience. The number of things an opera singer has to think about and control at one time is amazing. Ms. Graves’ approach highlights an important feature of opera: the arias are the same for every performer, but each performer brings a bit of themselves to the roles, and thus each performance is fresh. Ms. Graves was very supportive and positive in her instructional approach. It was easy to see how this class would be valuable to the performing students and those in the audience. I couldn’t help but wonder when the class was over if Ms. Graves might have any ambition to direct opera; she’d be good. I recommend you tune in to enjoy her performance as teacher and meet these young performers for yourself.
Mezzo-soprano Emily Treigle is the last student in the master class to perform and have her performance critiqued by Ms. Graves. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
I wanted to delve deeper into the use of master classes and contacted staff at Wolf Trap Opera. In response to my questions, I was told:
“In some ways master classes are as much a part of the training as voice lessons are. To work with an experienced singing artist and master teacher who has so much professional experience to share is another way in which our singers glean information about their voices. It's often helpful in a few specific ways:
• Getting advice about how their voices might sound (or how they might need to be tooled) to work successfully in the large spaces that the established singers perform in frequently (the perspective from singing in a 2000-seat house with a 70-person orchestra several times a week for years is invaluable to a singer who has performed mostly with piano, or in smaller houses.).
• Bridging the artistic gap between school and profession; most of the best master classes are about breaking through the rigidity that come from intense academic study. There's a time when every artist needs to take ownership of their artistry; at the very best, these classes offer a glimpse into how to do that.
• Connection: making a connection with a professional singer of renown is an incredibly valuable resource and opportunity for these young people.
The public aspect of many of these classes helps just to get the adrenaline up for the performer! But these classes happen without public participation, too - it's not just for the public, but it's an easy way to bring a curious public in to view the process work.”
And you can relax; there is not a quiz afterwards.
Well, it’s a pandemic. Your activities are very likely restricted. Watching Ms. Graves interact with these young singers is both entertaining reality video and a learning experience, and good preparation for watching upcoming Wolf Trap Opera online offerings - see below for some suggestions. I think for the next singing performances I watch I will be more aware of how the singers are portraying their characters and will appreciate it all the more when they are successful at drawing me in. So, I recommend you give this master class a watch, say, for just thirty minutes. I bet you watch more.
The Fan Experience: The video can be accessed at this website; after you click to begin the video (you may have to click twice), be patient because it takes about a minute for the Wolf Trap Opera screen to disappear and the action to begin. The recording is certainly watchable, but I also have to report that the video and audio quality is not as good as it would be if the class had been held in the training center. I assume the master class was held in the open air Wolf Trap Ovations pavilion to maximize airflow as a safety precaution for dealing with the coronavirus. The audio includes some wind noise buffeting the microphones from time to time and one can detect the occasional airplane passing overhead, but not bad, and the singing and conversations come through clearly. I like listening with Air Pods, which have excellent sound . The video is somewhat lightly washed by the strong sunlight in the background, and the social distancing measures give the camera person a good workout switching from singers to Ms. Graves. Ms. Graves had to give encouragement without hugs for this one. Sympathies and gratitude to accompanist Mr. Woodard who had to keep his mask on for the entire class, as did the young artists in attendance.
Wolf Trap Opera’s “Untrapped Online” is providing a smorgasbord of online opera viewing options over the summer with some very attractive new ones coming up in August:
As part one of a program titled “Love: Surrender”, two operas that WTO would have presented this summer in person will have “stripped down” performances by this year’s trainees streamed online.
August 9 - La boheme
August 16 – Eugene Onegin
On August 23, WTO will begin streaming the “Orpheus Project”, that “weaves together three settings of the [Orpheus] myth ranging from 1607-2020 reflecting the traditional themes of the Greek original and the evolution of the myth in response to society as we seek to comprehend mysteries and passions that elude us.”